User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
Luke Brammall
a All Mountain Rider

Date Reviewed: December 19, 2013

Strengths: Light weight racing machine - pending your choice of groupset and wheels of course, plush feel to the rear suspension and due the weight accelerates very quickly and is actually a joy to ride on the climbs. Nimble on single track and great to ride on flowing courses

Weaknesses: Haven't found any weaknesses in the frame yet -

Bottom Line:

I have owned many many mountain bikes over the last 20 years and the Titus Racer X Carbon, that I brought second hand is by far the best mountain bike I've ever owned. Great ride feel and the Large size frame fits me perfectly (am 1.85m). This bike has made me only want to ride titus bikes in the future, so when the day comes that it finally dies I will most certainly be replacing it with another bike from the titus range.

If you can get your hands on a titus carbon racer x then do so, and enjoy the ride!

Strengths: Light weight racing machine - pending your choice of groupset and wheels of course, plush feel to the rear suspension and due the weight accelerates very quickly and is actually a joy to ride on the climbs. Nimble on single track and great to ride on flowing courses

Weaknesses: Haven't found any weaknesses in the frame yet -

Bottom Line:

I have owned many many mountain bikes over the last 20 years and the Titus Racer X Carbon, that I brought second hand is by far the best mountain bike I've ever owned. Great ride feel and the Large size frame fits me perfectly (am 1.85m). This bike has made me only want to ride titus bikes in the future, so when the day comes that it finally dies I will most certainly be replacing it with another bike from the titus range.

If you can get your hands on a titus carbon racer x then do so, and enjoy the ride!

Submitted by
Ant Allen
a Cross Country Rider
from Cape Town, South Africa

Date Reviewed: July 28, 2011

Strengths: Design rigidity, lightweight, great looker

Weaknesses: Bottle space minimal

Bottom Line:

Phenomenal resulting build - finished it yesterday and rushing this review to get home and ride it (2nd ride today).
Waaaaaay better than my Giant Anthem! Weighs better too 10.5kg including tire slime. Agile, responsive, alive and simply flipping fantastic! It is even that much better than my Racer X (which I should never have sold for a Giant - WHAT WAS I THINKING???).
I truly hope that Planet X manage to maintain the legendary level of excellence that Titus have taken years to build up!
Quite simply in 22 years of mountain bike riding, I have NEVER ridden such dialled bike!

Strengths: The bike is very solid and very fast!! I have had the bike less than a month and I get get over how much I LOVE this bike....I have alot of experience riding many different bikes and forms of geometry and this bike is a winner...the frame is very strong and even though its marketed as a XC racer...it can take alot and the carbon is very strong and does not hinder the riders confidence through the technical areas and the decents.....

Weaknesses: none at this time

Bottom Line:

Bottom line is that this bike is amazing......I had my doubts at first getting a carbon fiber bike not knowing how much racing id be doing vs...trail/technicals rides....but i couldnt be happier with the outcome and i recommand this bike to anyone...The only thing I would say is for you taller or border line between the medium and large....go with the large due to the extra support beam on the top tube and seat tube....unlike cannondale and some bikes.....I dont hear annoying crackle noises in the frame when im riding unlike most aluminum frames...this bike is built to late and take whatever you throw at it......one more thing....the underbelly protector is great and the inside of the frame is lines with a titanium cage/grid to help with strength!!! took me awhile of searching to figure that out....sick bike!!!!! so fun to ride..

Weaknesses: Very expensive. Probably could have built up a FS aluminum bike with lesser components for less than half. Carbon Fiber in the woods makes me a bit nervous.

Bottom Line:

More bike than anyone of my ability can exploit but has a nice bling factor to it. Also nice to show up on a ride with something different. So many people out there riding brand X,Y or Z since all the cool local steel builders have gone out of business due to the influx of Chinese carbon fiber frames and such. Still enjoy riding my steel hardtails but my old bones enjoy the plushness of FS.

Strengths: This bike is solid, stiff, and very quick...Not to mention light! From an asthetic standpoint...it's gorgeous! Lot's of stares at the local trail.

Weaknesses: Like some of the other reviews have stated, the water bottle cage area is very tight. Fortunately I use a Camelbak, so this is not an issue at all. Other than this, I have found no weaknesses with this beautiful bike...Simply awesome!

Bottom Line:

I bought my 2008 Titus Racer X Carbon having never ridden a Titus, but having read many good reviews. I spent a lot of time researching frames and components and bought each part piece by piece in an effort to build my dream bike.

After 6 months of riding this bike I can honestly say I have not once been disappointed!!!! This bike is extremely fast, tight like a hardtail, quick off the line, and can take some serious punishment! I had several friends telling me I should go for 5" of travel front and rear, but I find the 4 inches my 08 offers is perfect for me. I read one review that said riding this bike is like floating on a cloud...I disagree; It's like strapping yourself to a jet and flying in space!!! Very smooth, very fast...I love this bike!

If you are in the market and can afford one of these bad boys, I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Art at UBC Bikes in Tampa for building this bike as if it were his own...Awesome work Art!!!

Strengths: Lighter than the ALU X's; Stiffer laterally, e.g. better cornering, acceleration and climbing; vertically compliant, e.g. smoooooth on the trail.Oh -- let's face it -- she looks gorgeous!You've heard it before but the RP23 is awesome. I used to have PUSH do their thing. Used to.

Wow. I've always loved the 'X', but nothing could have prepared me for how my new 'gal' acts on the trail.I know carbon is great on the road -- but on the trail it is nothing short of pure magic! I could blather on for 100's of words -- but, you'd probably rather be riding, right? So here it is in a nut shell....I am able to take corners @ 1 to 3 mph faster, with WAY less input and still have plenty of safety margin. On my ALU 'X', I would be at the limit of lean and grip -- not so with the Carbon.Ditto on the descent -- it's so smooth, I gotta watch the speed! Yikes! Whoa, Nelly!On a short steep climb, when I hit the gas, it feels like all 25 lbs 'disappears' and the bike gets transparent or something...! Everyone describes it a little different -- some say it's like someone is pushing you.Whatever -- it is truly an amazing feeling and I have NEVER experienced anything like it.

Most importantly of all I think is the way the frame just soaks up the trail -- as in after a 50+ mile ride I feel like I did 5. Sure, my legs feel all the climbing -- but, my body has been spared all the abuse of the little bumps and jars that are just part and parcel of mountain biking.

Make no mistake -- trail feel is so crisp it's almost telepathic.But the ride quality is so smooth it is mind boggling.

So Beware! If you get the chance to actually ride one of these on the trail... It'll ruin you for anything less.Maybe you'll get a Specialized or a Yeti or an Ibis -- but it will have to be carbon fiber.You have been warned!!

Kudos to Fox on the '08 RLC -- Buttery AND oh so stiff and Compression adjust!!

A special shout out to WRC -- One of the best bike shops around. Thank you for helping me create my dream bike!

Weaknesses: All have been overcome and since this bike is so much fun to ride its hard to dwell on them anyway.

Bottom Line:

This is my follow up review. In the month I have had the Racer X, I've thrown a leg over it 6 times and have logged over 18 hours on the bike, 245 k, with 9000 m of climbing. I LOVE THIS BIKE!!!!!!!!! Each of our local rides starts with a long single track anaerobic-lactic-acid-in-the-legs-red-zone-climb up the mountain. Before the Racer X on a good day I’d make the climb in about 32-35 minutes. I am now climbing it in less then 29 and am think with a bit more effort I can get up it 25. A lot can be said about a bike's ability to climb. Climbers win races. And the down hills…… wow, this bike handles well going down. It’s scary fast, unbelievably fun and gives you lots of confidence.

1) In my first review I commented about the water bottle situation. Well… you can fit a 1 liter bottle on the down tube bottle mount and get it in and out on the fly without problem. I’ve also purchased a water bottle mount for the seat post and carry another 750 ml bottle. The nice thing is that I can no longer fit a seat pouch under the seat so have to tuck everything I need into a jersey pocket. Meaning I carry less with me now (lighter). I kind of like this set up now because I am carrying slightly less water (only 1.75 liters vs. 2 liters), no seat pouch and only the really essential tools making the whole package even lighter.

2) The lost RUB. Titus rushed a replacement to the Flying Ball in Hong Kong who in turn forwarded it to me in Beijing. Good service all around! No more complaints there. Losing the first one was probably bad luck.

3) Our fix for the seat post works fine and we’ve had no hassles with any slippage.

Did I mention that I LOVE THIS BIKE!!!!!!! Next stop, the finish line of the 2008 Cape Epic hopefully with a better result then our 88th placing this year. Not bad for a 41 year old with a fulltime job. See you on the trails and support your local bike shops. Thanks to Mr. Lee at the Flying Ball and all the rest his team.

Strengths: Great cornering through the twisty single track, climbs well but the front wheel tends to lift up (this is probably due to riding style and a shorter wheelbase than my Blur), relatively light, stiff.

Weaknesses: I’ve only ridden the bike once. Yesterday was the maiden voyage but I wanted to write this initial review for several reasons:

1. As the first reviewer has pointed out, you can only fit a small 500 ml water bottle in the down tube cage. Anything larger and it hits the pro-pedal switch and is difficult to take out and put in. 2. The biggest issue for me is that there is only one water bottle cage. I gave up backpacks about a year and a half ago and it was a very liberating experience. I came in 88th in this years Cape Epic, riding with water bottles and am disappointed that there is only one water bottle mount. There was definitely enough room on the underside of the down tube to put a 2nd mount. It could even have been used to keep the RUB down tube protector in place.3. Which brings me to the RUB protector. Mine is laying on the highway somewhere. I’ve just noticed this morning that it is no longer on the frame. I don’t think it’s on the trail because my buddy (also on his new Racer X Carbon) was behind me for most of the ride and would have noticed it. It looks like the RUB is only attached with a double sided tape. Ours were loose when we got the frame and my guess is that when the bikes were on the roof of the car that the wind got under the RUB and it went sailing. Hopefully Titus has replacements in and can get me a replacement soon.4. The last main issue has to do with the securing the seat post. No amount of tightening is enough to keep the seat post secure. I’ve seen from the magazine article that they had the same problems and used some sand to keep the post from moving. We’ve solved the problem by taking the aluminum backside of a tire patch and sliding it in between the frame and the post. This seemed to take up enough volume so that we could tighten down on the seat post clamp and secure the post. This is probably a seat post clamp design problem.

Bottom Line:

My riding partner and I bought the Carbon to replace our Blurs. We rode in the 2007 Cape Epic race and did quite well (88th) for a couple of 40 year olds with day jobs. We are returning to the Epic next year with a goal to do better. As such we purchased new bikes.

From the one ride I’ve had on the Racer X, I am very please with the riding characteristics and am confident that this will be a great bike to ride in the 2008 Epic (9 days, 956 km, 18,000 m of climbing). I really enjoyed yesterday’s ride and will put in another review again when I’ve had more time on the bike. I can say that the pro-pedal and the Fox F100 lock out were fantastic.

I guess with every new bike designed, there are going to be problems. We built up our bikes ourselves and they went together quite easily with out hassle, with the exception of the seat post issue.

I am kinda bummed that the RUB fell off but am really bummed that there is only one water bottle cage. I will have to put an attachment for an additional water bottle on the seat post which means that I will have to get rid of the seat tool bag and find somewhere else to carry my CO2 cartage, tube, tool, patches and tire levers.

I should say that despite the issues, I am happy with the bike after the first ride. The ride characteristics of the Racer X are well known and more qualified people have commented one them. For the most part everyone raves about the Racer X design. Put a second water bottle mount on the bike, give us more room for the water bottle on the down tube, have a better system for keeping the RUB on, and fix the seat post clamp and you’ve got a winner.

Similar Products Used: Have been riding since 91'. In those years have owned the following bikes: Rockhopper, Proflex 955, Cannondale V-900, Cannondale Raven (23rd off the production line), Santa Cruz Blur, Titus Carbon (medium).

Weaknesses: The water bottle cage is either placed too far up the downtube. A large bottle is within a mm of the RP23 Pro Pedal knob. If the going is rough, it 'bangs' on it. Also when you get the bottle or out or put it back, depending on what hand you use, you can flip the PP on or off. I remove with right hand and place it with the left. I will have Push flip the shock around, similar to a Cannondale Rush setup if its possible.

Bottom Line:

I was a bit hesitant to buy another Racer-X. I thought why not try something else. Im glad I didnt. What amazed me about the Racer-X is how simple it is to ride. You just pedal and it GOES. I have never ridden a bike where you dont have to constantly move forward and back, left and right to make it flow. You simply stay seated and let the bike do the rest. With my old AL version I won NMBCS Super-D races, podium'd in XC and XCST. In fact at one point was leading all 3 NMBCS categories on 1 bike with the same wheels and tires! Amazing.

This bike is just a pure pleasure to ride! After the first few months I thought to myself, "It doesnt feel much different then my old Racer-X". I felt 'robbed' of something new.. But thats exactly the point, I realized this is exactly how it should feel. Only the Carbon feels better; firmer, lighter, crisper.

This bike can be raced hard in any discipline and ridden for hrs on gravel. It always feels like it belongs doing what its doing.

I bought my first X w/o ever swinging a leg over one. In fact I only had ridden a couple of FS bikes before choosing an X. It rides NOTHING like any other FS bike. It just goes and goes - as fast as you can, w/o any indication of the bike being on its limit.